Like a great road trip, the adventure is in what lies ahead and not where you’ve been.
It’s that kind of philosophy that has been embraced by Aapex Driving Academy, which recently celebrated its 35th year in business under the ownership of Christine Raby.
“Our vision has always been about what is going to happen in the future, said Ami Pearcey, the academy’s manager. “The past is the past and we’re looking forward.”
When Raby purchased the driving school in 1988, it had only one employee and one location on Hellems Avenue in downtown Welland. It has grown substantially since then, Raby said.
“Driver training has traditionally been a mom-and-pop business,” Raby said. “We now have over 50 full-time employees.”
And Aapex still has its roots firmly planted in the Rose City’ core with its Welland location situated at 32 Cross St., just a block away from where it all started. Over the 35 years, Raby estimates more than 100,000 people have come through the doors, with Aapex serving upwards of 5,000 people annually at nine sites across Niagara and in Dunnville.
“We like to say we go from lake to lake,” Raby said.
In addition to Welland, Niagara locations include St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Lincoln (Beamsville), Grimsby, Pelham, Port Colborne and Fort Erie.
The pandemic brought a lot of changes to the business, Raby said. The traditional in-class instruction went online. The classes turned out to be popular and are still offered as an option.
That being said, people were happy to be back to learning in person, Raby said.
“We had a lot of people coming back and saying they missed all the faces.”
Raby added that Aapex has instructors on staff who specialize in working with students with unique needs, including anxiety and medical conditions.
Raby is particularly proud of Aapex’s partnership with the CAA. Graduates of Aapex courses now receive a free, one-year CAA membership.
“It’s a big feather in our cap. CAA is very community minded.”
All in-class or online training comes with 10 hours of in-car instruction and is designed to promote safe driving habits. A new program designed for seniors to help them refresh their driving skills has been added to Aapex’s offerings. The course is offered once a month’s at Aapex’s St. Catharines location.
For information on the courses offered by Aapex Driving Academy, including pricing, visit aapexdriving.com.